Fasteners have applications in any scenario when two or more originally separate objects are to be joined, whether permanently or temporarily. Among temporary fasteners, there are one-time use fasteners and re-useable fasteners. Temporary fasteners typically have a method and mechanism to engage and disengage the fastener. These methods and mechanisms function for their purpose but typically have undesirable characteristics as well, for example, in hook and loop fasteners, the disengagement of the hooks from the loop creates a significantly loud sound (which is undesirable in certain locations, such as a library) and the hooks themselves may snag onto clothing, fabrics, or other materials. In another example, in click and latch type fasteners typically seen on lidded boxes, the engagement and disengagement mechanism defines a very rigid application geometry because the fastener requires the mating surfaces to come together at pre-defined angles with a degree of rigidity. In general, click and latch type fasteners include components that need to be accessed by the user to actuate the fastener, and thus must be mounted with at least a portion of the click and latch mechanism in plain view. In addition, such click and latch type fasteners may lose their fastening ability as the mating surfaces deform from age and use.
Thus, there is a need in the field of fasteners to create a new and useful fastener that overcomes at least some of these disadvantages of the hook and loop fasteners and click and latch fasteners. This invention provides such a new and useful fastener.